What Does The Flash’s Big Reveal Mean for the Mystery of Zoom?

Spoilers Ahoy for The Flash: “The Reverse-Flash Returns”

Last night’s episode of The Flash was substantial in many ways. Patty Spivot’s relationship with Barry Allen ended as she left the city for new adventures – but not before figuring out his big secret all on her own. Wally West’s relationship with his new family was further cemented, giving him an in toward his eventual Speed Force-infused destiny. Reverse-Flash returned and thanks to time travel also met our heroes for the first time (from a certain point of view). His essential relationship to them all was demonstrated and underlined with a near Back to the Future loss of Cisco.

Phew.

And all of that pales in comparison to a massive reveal made by Jay Garrick: His Earth-1 doppleganger doesn’t share his name. Thanks to an early-life adoption, the man is named Hunter Zolomon on Earth-1.

Or, at least that’s what Jay says.

This reveal throws everything out the window as far as how we’ve viewed Jay and what we know about the season’s central mystery: Who is Zoom?

First, a quick recap primer, in case you haven’t read this week’s Easter Eggs post or our post from last year explaining who Hunter Zolomon is in the comics: Hunter Zolomon is the civilian identity of one of the men who has at times gone by “Reverse-Flash” or, more importantly, Zoom in the pages of DC Comics. In those comics, Zolomon typically had the motivation of making the Flash a better hero. In his twisted mind, he thought that tragedy for the Flash would make him stronger and more capable.

His personal credo, done very much in the style of the CW show openers, was, “My name is Hunter Zolomon. Despite what the public believes, I am the fastest man alive. I am Zoom.”

So does this reveal mean that Jay’s Earth-1 counterpart is Zoom on the show? It certainly could. If there’s one thing we know for sure about EPs Kreisberg, Berlanti, and CCO Geoff Johns and their ilk, it’s that they never throw a reference like this in with no intention of following-up or deepening the mystery. The idea that this big of a reveal has been sitting there on a park bench all along means it is definitely something.

There also has to be something said for Jay Garrick being the one delivering the news. Jay has been a bit of a mystery on his own, recently revealed to be slowly dying from his disconnection to the Speed Force. While it would be very difficult to be suddenly saying that the man we’ve known as Jay Garrick and Earth-2’s Flash is actually Zoom, it’s obviously not unprecedented. It would be a little too close to the Harrison/Eobard reveal from last year, though these types of stories are also cyclical.

Overall, the reveal that Jay and Hunter Zolomon are two sides to one coin could mean any number of things for the show. If neither of those two characters are eventually revealed as the villainous Zoom on the show, it could be setting up a way for Teddy Sears to stay on the show after Jay’s story is over (he has to get his speed and go back to Earth-2 at some point, after all, or his only other fate is death). Zolomon’s Zoom was primarily a villain for another Flash, Wally West, after all. Perhaps this is just a tease for a story down the road?

Any which way, the Zolomon introduction has to be viewed as important, and was probably designed to make us start doubting the Jay Garrick we know and love. It’s certainly easy to be very scared for Caitlin and Team Flash at this point.